you're the pick of the patch
by AtLoLevad
Summary: Eddie and Jamie bring their daughters to pick pumpkins


"Mina Mary Reagan! Come back here!" Eddie yelped, darting around pumpkins and other children in order to catch up to their unusually speedy 4-year-old.

Jamie trailed behind at a more leisurely pace, two-year-old Beth cuddled in his arms. The toddler buried her face in Jamie's neck, whining quietly about the chickens she'd had to leave behind in the petting zoo.

Mina's delighted giggles filled the air as Eddie caught up to her, lifting the little girl onto her hip.

"You got me, mama!" she cried happily, beaming, and entirely unruffled by Eddie's disgruntled expression.

"Yeah, I got you," Eddie deadpanned. "And a few new greys too. I thought I told you to stand right next to me?"

Minnie shrugged. "I didn't wanna anymore. And punkins are over here."

"There were pumpkins right where we were standing too," Eddie pointed out reasonably. Jamie laughed - their oldest daughter was not swayed by reason and it was a fool's errand to try and sway her little mind.

"So?" True to form, Minnie wrinkled her nose and wiggled out of Eddie's grip. "Let go, mama! I wanna pick punkins."

She dropped to her feet, little boots kicking up a cloud of dirt, and scampered off to look at a nearby group of pumpkins. Eddie's gaze followed her like a hawk and she spoke to Jamie without looking at him, "Give me the baby. You take the faster one."

"Oh no!" Jamie shook his head, grinning down at his wife. "You said, and I quote, 'Min finally understands pumpkin picking and I can't wait to help her pick a good one. Jamie, you can be designated baby holder and camera man,' end quote."

Eddie turned a stink eye on him. "You're supposed to read between the lines!"

"What between?" Jamie retorted, shifting Beth in his arms. She protested with a loud cry of "Daddy! Chickens!" He made a silly face at her and she giggled. Turning back to Eddie, he said, "There was no between the lines. You literally told me that I was in charge of Bethy and you got Minnie."

"I don't like you," Eddie deadpanned.

"Yeah," Jamie grinned, "you love me."

Even Eddie couldn't maintain her straight face and she cracked a smile. Beth, pouting in Jamie's arms, looked at Eddie with a hopeful look on her little face.

"Mama? Chicken?" she asked plaintively, holding out chubby hands and grabbing at the air. Eddie swooped forward and planted a big kiss on Beth's cheek, getting the toddler to giggle.

"On the way out, baby, I promise," she said, reaching up to stroke Beth's cheek with her index finger. "Let's help your sister pick out a pumpkin, huh?"

"Min!" Beth shrieked, always excited to hang around her big sister. Jamie set her on the ground and watched as Beth toddled unsteadily towards Minnie and the pile of pumpkins. Eddie tucked her hand into the back pocket of Jamie's jeans and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"They're cute, huh?" he said casually. Minnie plunked down on the ground and tapped her hand against a particularly large pumpkin. Beth leaned her upper body over the top of the pumpkin and babbled excitedly with her limited vocabulary.

"Yeah," Eddie agreed, a sly smile spreading across her face, "they get it from me."

Jamie snorted. "You wish! I'm the cutest of the Reagans - comes with being the baby."

"Oh, you're cute alright," Eddie drawled and then shouted sharply, "Do not put that rock in your mouth, Beth!"

Beth's eyebrows shot up and she dropped the rock from her hand, startled. Mina giggled at her sister's surprise and yelled, "Mama! Come pick punkin with me!"

"Oh, you got it, kiddo," Eddie beamed, letting go of Jamie and taking a few quick steps over to the girls so she could drop onto the ground next to them. Beth crawled onto her lap and cuddled up close. "So what are we looking for, Min?"

Minnie rapped carefully on a particularly large pumpkin. "They gotta be orange, mama."

Eddie looked up at Jamie with a raised eyebrow. He muffled laughter with his hand and his eyes twinkled. She shook her head at him, grinning.

"How orange are we talking?" Eddie replied, laughing. Beth tugged a little on the neck of the red plaid jacket Eddie was wearing and Eddie bounced her legs up and down so Beth would bounce too. Jamie casually took out his phone and snapped a few candids of his girls. His desk at the precinct could use a new photo.

"Really really orange!" Minnie grinned, skipping from pumpkin to pumpkin. She stopped in front of a pumpkin that looked like it had come straight out of a magazine spread. Squatting down, she peered at it carefully before announcing, "I like this one."

She turned on Jamie with her hands on her hips and a bright little smile on her face. "Daddy! You gotta bring this to the car," she demanded.

"Oh yeah?" Jamie raised an eyebrow and knelt down on one knee. "And is there something else you'd like to say?"

Huffing a sigh, Mina drawled, "Pleeeease take my punkin to the car, daddy."

"I'd be happy to," Jamie grinned, winking at Eddie. She rolled her eyes and asked Beth which pumpkin she wanted.

"Dis!" Beth shouted, slapping the nearest pumpkin with her palm. "Pu-kin!"

Jamie nodded and hefted both pumpkins into his arms. "You girls ready?" He looked down at Eddie, arms full of squirming toddler and silently asked her if the girls would be rewarded with time in the corn maze and a sugary treat.

She nodded and set Beth on her feet before standing up herself. "Who wants apple doughnuts?"

A tiny chorus of excited "me"s broke out.

"Okay!" Eddie clapped her hands, smiling brightly. "Daddy's going to put the pumpkins in the car and then we'll head to the corn maze and get doughnuts since you guys were so good."

"Yay!" Minnie jumped around, alternating between throwing her hands in the air and bending down to grab Beth's hands and dance with her. Eddie laughed at her oldest daughter's enthusiasm and boundless energy. Jamie disappeared off to the car, leaving Eddie watching the girls work off some excitement.

Minnie stopped bouncing and peered up at Eddie, ab excited sparkle in her blue eyes. "Mama?" she asked, a little sing-songy. "Can we go to Poppa's house after?"

Eddie squinted at the girl.

"You only want to go to Poppa's house because he keeps sneaking you Halloween candy," she accused.

"No!" Minnie protested, jumping up and down. "I wanna see Poppa and show him the punkins!"

She jutted out her lower lip in an adorable pout and Beth, in a phase where she mimicked everything Mina did, followed suit.

"Oh wow," Eddie muttered under her breath. "A double pout? You two don't play fair, do you?"

She huffed a faux-long suffering sigh and nodded. "Sure, we can swing by Poppa's house on the way home. But, only if he says it's okay, got it?"

The girls don't care about Eddie's condition - they were already dancing around shouting excitedly about going to visit Frank. Eddie shook her head, but smiled at their excitement. She pulled out her phone and shot Frank a quick text - one he responded to almost immediately and in the affirmative. Not that Eddie was surprised, Frank usually dropped anything and everything to spend time with his youngest granddaughters, especially now that he was fully immersed in retirement.

Jamie returned a few minutes later, forehead creased in confusion at the girls' antics. "They're this excited about a corn maze?" he asked, resting his chin on Eddie's shoulder.

"No," she snorted. "They're this excited because they conned me into going over to dad's place after this and he's been sneaking them candy all week."

"Damn," Jamie laughed. "You're a soft touch, Mrs. Reagan."

"Oh!" Eddie whirled on him, eyes narrowed playfully. "You try saying no to the double pout, Jameson." She prodded her index finger into his chest even as he leaned down to capture her lips with his.

Breaking away from the kiss, Jamie looked over Eddie's shoulder and said, "Who's ready for the corn maze?" in the girls' direction.

They shrieked and Mina ran off in the direction of the maze, leaving Eddie and Jamie to scoop Beth up and follow along.

As far as fall days went, Eddie mused while watching Jamie carry Beth and follow Minnie, there were few things that made them better.

* * *

_A/N: just something a little fun and fluffy for fall because vanessa posted a cute instagram in a pumpkin patch!_


End file.
